Tips to save burnt food: 6 clever methods to try (2024)

How to fix burnt food

1. Change the pot

Generally, something has burnt because you’ve left it on stove for too long. This means most of the damage will be on the bottom of the pan. Try relocating your food to a clean pan or pot and see if that makes a difference.

2. Salvage what you can

If you’ve already finished cooking your food and it’s a tad on the burnt side, grab some tongs and a sharp knife and begin the process of removing the bad bits. Hopefully there’s enough left for you to eat.

3. Use potatoes to soak up the burnt taste in food

If time is on your side, potatoes are your best friend for soaking up flavours and odours. Peel a couple of potatoes and pop them into your dish, cooking for another 45 minutes. Hopefully they will soak up any unwanted flavouring.

4. Mask the burnt flavours

Another option is to try and drown out the strong charcoal flavours using ingredients that are equally as dominant. For example, vinegar, red wine or white wine. You could also try chilli or garlic, depending on the dish.

5. Slow down the cooking process

As soon as you realise your dish is burning, turn the heat off. Pop the plug in the sink and fill it with cold water. Carefully submerge your pot or pan in the cold water to halt the cooking process. Without stirring or scraping the bottom of the pan, extract your food and place it in a clean pan. Have a little taste before you continue cooking to make sure it tastes okay.

6. Just eat it

Probably not what you were expecting, but if you’ve burnt your dinner and you don’t have anything else to eat you have two options: go without or accept that it’s going to taste a little funny and eat it anyway! Again this depends on how burnt your dish is.